romance

Review: The Ex Hex (The Ex Hex #1) by Erin Sterling

~ megs14malloy ~ Leave a comment

The Ex Hex (The Ex Hex #1)The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Ex Hex is the 1st-book in an Adult Witchy-Romantic Contemporary series by beloved author, Rachel Hawkins, writing here under the pen name, Erin Sterling.

In this story we follow Vivi Jones, who 9-years ago had her heart broken by the handsome and charming, Rhys Penhallow. It was a whirlwind romance; the couple only dating for 3-months, but it left a lasting impact on poor Vivi.

Poor Vivi aside, it sort of had a lasting impact on Rhys too…

Of course that impact was caused by the drunken curse that Vivi may have placed on him. I mean, to be fair, she wasn’t certain it would actually do anything serious, and she was heartbroken. What’s a girl to do?

When Rhys arrives back in town, after 9-long years have passed, in order to recharge the town’s ley lines, and disastrous things begin to happen, Vivi starts to think perhaps that silly curse wasn’t so inconsequential after all.

Reunited, Vivi and Rhys actually start getting along again and there’s no denying the chemistry. They need to put that aside though when it seems the curse may have grown, with the whole town now being at risk.

They must work together to try to save the town and end the blasted curse once and for all. If they do, could they possibly have a chance at a normal relationship?

This was cute! It was a nice change of pace for me, because I have been reading nothing but Dark Fiction ((my fave)) lately, but I didn’t find it particularly compelling.

I do plan to continue with the series though. I like the idea of this sweet little town and all the witchy vibes that Sterling included.

I would equate my experience with this to that of The Witches of Thistle Grove series, which begins with Payback’s a Witch. While none of those books has ever blown me away, I’ve read all of them.

They’re comforting. I like the formula. I know what I am getting when I go in, so I’m able to pick the perfect time to read them. I’m looking forward to finding the right time for the next book in this series. Just let me get cozy!

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Review: Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe

~ megs14malloy

Love and Other ConspiraciesLove and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hallie Barrett made the classic mistake of dating a co-worker. The guy was also a mega-jerk and after their split, it actually had a huge impact on Hallie’s position at her job.

She’s been pulled from the online series she was producing and needs to come up with something new to present the execs, and quickly. Inspiration strikes after watching a late-night docuseries where she sees the most handsome man discussing Bigfoot theories.

Hayden Hargrove has made a name for himself with his podcast. He’s an expert on cryptids and was a guest on the show that caught Hallie’s attention.

She reaches out to him and pitches her ideas. He can’t help but be intrigued by the captivating blue-haired producer who has offered him a great opportunity. To her surprise, he accepts her offer to work with her on her new show.

Unfortunately, Hayden is used to podcasting and his solo on-screen performance isn’t great. Trying to make him more comfortable, Hallie jumps on camera too and it’s then when the magic happens.

Their chemistry is great and Hayden seems much more capable of making his points with someone there to banter off from. Thus, their on-screen relationship is born, but what’s gonna happen when the camera stops rolling?

This was really cute. I definitely got invested in Hallie, Hayden and their relationship. I loved the initial set-up for how they came into each other’s orbits, and appreciated that the author didn’t rely too heavily on miscommunication to keep the story progressing.

In fact, there really wasn’t any miscommunication between the love interests, which IMO was SOOOO refreshing to see.

A lot of the drama really stemmed from Hallie’s job and ex, trying to pick up the pieces and get her life back on track. Hayden also had some personal issues, mostly related to his parents. I thought the author did a great job introducing all these topics and seeing them through to their conclusions.

Overall, Love and Other Conspiracies was sort of nerdy, hella sweet and succeeded in keeping me fully engaged throughout. I loved the banter between Hallie and Hayden, but also the more serious moments, how supportive they were of one another.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was such a solid Romance debut. I can’t wait for more from this author!

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Review: The Wedding Engagement by Zoe Allison

~ megs14malloy

The Wedding EngagementThe Wedding Engagement by Zoe Allison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Wedding Engagement is a Romance by Zoe Allison. This story follows MCs, Liv and Arran, and is set in Scotland.

Liv is a preschool teacher and Arran is an up-and-coming painter, as well as a single-Dad to a sweet little boy that Liv will soon have in her classroom.. Arran is Liv’s brother’s best friend, so the two have known each other for a long time.

They have a very tight knit group of friends, but when Arran occasionally needs help with his son, it’s Liv who really starts showing up for him.

Her excuse is that she doesn’t have much of a life otherwise and she doesn’t mind at all. The truth is more complex. She’s crushing hard on Arran, but yeah, also loves his son too. She wants to help him and definitely enjoys the extra time with her bro’s handsome-BFF.

Arran notices Liv showing up for him, and in truth, he’s been noticing a lot more than that. The sexual tension is boiling and their banter is just so cute.

When the two end up set-up together on a blind date, they have the opportunity to finally express what they’ve been feeling, but they both fail. Big time.

Even though it felt frustrating in the beginning, because miscommunication, this cast of characters did really grow on me. Arran was such a sweetheart and I empathized with Liv and her very real struggles and self-doubts.

I loved Arran and Liv’s banter, and more importantly, just the way they were with each other; how they considered each other’s feelings so much.

My favorite thing though was the friend group. I loved how supportive and open they all were with one another, both the men and the women.

A lot of the plot of this revolves around Liv’s brother, Sam, and his engagement and upcoming marriage to one of her best friends. Arran and Liv are both involved in the wedding planning and the stag and hen do.

I did enjoy that as well. Those types of set-ups are always fun to read about, IMO, and it helped to bring about a lot of necessary time for Arran and Liv to spend together.

Additionally, I appreciate the real-life issues that Allison explored with these MCs. For Liv, there was a lot of back story having to do with her bio-Dad and him basically being a shitbag. For Arran, there was a lot of drama involving his ex-fiance, Jess.

Granted, I don’t read a ton of Romance, but the Romance I do read and enjoy tends to tackle some heavier topics for the MCs. I need more than just sex and attraction. I want them working through things together, as a team and providing both emotional support and protection for one another.

I felt like Allison did a great job of channeling that into this story. This budding relationship had substance. I could walk away feeling like it wasn’t going to fizzle out in 8-10 years when the sexual attraction may have started to take more of a backseat in comparison with other issues.

Overall, while I’m not sure how memorable this story will be for me in the long-run, I still really enjoyed it and the journey that I went on with these characters.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is the first that I have read from this author, but I’m definitely looking forward to more.

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Review: Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura

~ megs14malloy

Raiders of the Lost HeartRaiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Unfortunately, this Adult Romance was way more ewww than awww for me. As in, complete cringefest.

I am sooooo glad it’s over!!!

Let’s start with what I liked. The cover is adorable. It immediately made me what to pick this one up. I love the colors and how cute both of the characters look. It’s also giving strong adventure vibes.

I also enjoyed the very beginning of this story. I appreciated how quickly it kicked off. The author didn’t waste any time with filler stuff. We’re immediately swept away with Corrie as she’s pulled into an expedition in Mexico.

Also, I do tend to really enjoy the academic rivals-to-lovers trope and it seemed obvious that’s where this was going, which I was excited to see play out.

Very sadly, this is where my likes end. I won’t give you the full list of dislikes. I’m not here to be salty looking to turn anyone off from giving this book a shot, but I do like to keep it real with my personal reading experiences in my reviews.

After the successful set-up, nothing really happens. I was waiting for something to happen, something more than pointless bickering between our mains. Then they started hooking up and I WISHED WITH ALL MY HEART we could go back to nothing happening.

The steamy bits are soooo not to my tastes. I was legit yelling, ewwwwwww, at my audiobook and I’m not even joking. I wish I was. Descriptors like ‘lapping’ — just don’t and I def don’t want to hear about smooth, VEINY skin.

Before y’all come at me, it wasn’t just the steamy bits though, although that was huge part of it. I also hated both of the main characters.

Corrie was so annoying and I was beyond sick of hearing about how hot her body was and what horrible problems that caused for her. Her stunningly jaw-dropping double-Ds and taut ass had plagued her her whole life. Poor thing.

Ford was a jerk, who would fly off the handle over nothing and I detested the way they interacted with one another, both when they were fighting and then when they were all over each other. It was completely cringe. There’s honestly not a better way to describe it.

Uneventful, lackluster, boring, icky and disappointing. Clearly, not a new favorite, but alas, I am moving on and will wrap this up with the same thing I say every time I write a not so positive review:

Just because this didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. There’s a Reader for every book and book for every Reader. If this sounds good to you, check it out. If you love it, please come back and tell me how wrong I am!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I never give up on an author after one try, so would consider picking up more from Segura.

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Review: The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

~ megs14malloy

The PairingThe Pairing by Casey McQuiston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Kit and Theo were childhood best friends, whose relationship finally blossomed to more as young adults. They were in love, but that was 4-years ago.

After a vicious break-up, in the airport, of all places, Kit and Theo went their separate ways and have been estranged ever since. Until now. Things are about to shake up…

At the time of their break-up, they had a food and wine tour planned, which they subsequently canceled. They couldn’t get their money back, but the vouchers were good to use for another 48-months. Separately. Alone.

As the 4-year mark approaches though, it’s unsurprising that they’d both come up with the same idea. It’s time to cash in the vouchers, and take that tour.

Unfortunately, they don’t discover that still think very much alike until they are actually boarding the tour bus. Oh, hello.

Neither one of them has any intentions of giving up the tour though, so it looks like they’ll just have to play nice. And play they do, a little hook-up game to prove just how over one another they really are.

I’m sure you can imagine what that entails…

Sadly, The Pairing was a bit of a mixed bag for me. It’s a good story, but IMHO, it’s not at the level I am used to seeing from McQuiston. This hurts to say.

For me, it lacked the humor I’m used to from them. I wasn’t attached to either MC and I didn’t care if they ended up together or not. I actually preferred not.

Additionally, the side characters had no real development, and in the past, some of the SC have been my favorites. I know that sounds harsh, I’m not trying to be, but it is the overall feeling I walked away with.

To be fair though, I did like the beginning, I was pulled in fairly quickly, and then I really enjoyed like the last 10%. It was just the in-between bits where I felt bored and like I was struggling to finish.

Both Theo and Kit felt flat for me compared to characters that I have read from McQuiston in the past. I wasn’t crazy about the structure they chose either; as in, the way we were given the different perspectives. I would have preferred a more even back-and-forth.

The thing that caused their break-up, I felt like that was resolved around the 65% mark and for me, the whole thing felt wrapped-up at that point. What are we even doing here after that? It was just like a couple fighting versus anything I cared to tune for.

I didn’t feel any tension, or real angst after that. And frankly, I do semi-agree with Theo’s sister, they do seem to intentionally make their lives harder, especially when it came to Kit!

That’s all well and good though. I don’t need to agree with a character’s actions or decisions, but I don’t want to be bored while I’m trying to figure out where they are going with their choices. Theo was frustrating.

The sex competition was fun at first, but then it just started to feel repetitive as time went on. Nothing really beat the couple themselves hooking up though when it came to repetitive. It just felt like the same thing over and over, just in a different place. Stale.

Honestly, I was so ready for this to be over and felt more relieved than anything when it was done. Although, I will say, I did think it had a lovely ending.

At the end of the day, while McQuiston will continue to be a must-read author for me, I’m NGL, this was a little disappointing and definitely my least favorite of their work.

I’ve read other reviews though, and know that a lot of Readers are LOVING it. So, just because it didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. If it sounds interesting, give it a go.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m excited to see what McQuiston serves us next!

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Review: Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

~ megs14malloy

Not in LoveNot in Love by Ali Hazelwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

I don’t think I have ever rated a Hazelwood book under 4.5-stars, so we’ve entered new territory here.

This was still a good story, all things considered, but I didn’t find it as witty, swoony, sexy, or as charming as her previous books. I also felt less STEM-vibes than I am accustomed to with her writing.

In this we are following Rue, a biotech engineer, and Eli, who works in finance, think venture capitalist, and they’re brought together as Eli and his partners are beginning a takeover of the company that Rue works for, Kline.

Because they find themselves on opposing sides, it does have a bit of a forbidden romance feel initially. For me, I would have loved if that had been dragged out a little further. They didn’t keep it secret for very long.

Maybe I am supposed to believe it was because their chemistry is so strong everyone could just see it…

I loved Eli. I actually felt like he could be Hazelwood’s sexiest male lead to date. There was something about him; strength, confidence and kindness for days. I’m in love.

Then there’s Rue. My gym shoes have more personality than her. No offense.

Every moment from her perspective bored me. I felt absolute zero connection to her and I understand her background, and I guess that is why Hazelwood made her feel more dead fish than engaging female lead, but I wasn’t into it.

I struggled to picture the two of them together. At the start, it’s just supposed to be a hook-up, right? So, I get that. She’s a wildly attractive woman, who seems to only want one thing. What guy wouldn’t be attracted to that?

As the story continued though, I just couldn’t get behind the idea of him becoming so magically obsessed with her. It made no sense to me, thus causing the entire story to feel a bit…put on, I guess. Which, for the record, I have never felt with one of Hazelwood’s books before.

Also, there was one aspect of Rue’s backstory that felt more like a platform than a genuine part of her character. It just felt oddly placed the way she discussed it. It came off like she needed an interesting, tragic backstory to explain the way she was as an adult.

I know it is a serious topic, and I always appreciate when authors include things worthy of discussion, it just felt too strange in this story, with everything else going on. I would have rather spent more time exploring the business, the takeover and Rue’s research.

This all comes off as pretty negative and I don’t mean it to be. After all, my opinion on Rue all comes down to personal taste. I feel like for the right Reader, for one who can see a bit of themselves in Rue, they may adore this story.

Taking everything into consideration, I still enjoyed this and appreciate Hazelwood’s risks with the steamy scenes in this one; definitely dipping into some new territory here when it comes to pushing the limits, power plays, etc.

I also loved Eli’s story, from his time in college to the present, including him becoming the sole guardian of his younger sister, Maya. I really felt for him in having to make those kinds of sacrifices, but what an incredible man he grew into. He’s very emotionally mature.

I’m happy with the conclusion. Having been bored a bit throughout, the end really came together for me and is ultimately why I decided to round up to 4-stars.

Overall, I had a decent time with this. There were some great moments. I walk away happy and anxiously anticipating Hazelwood’s next release.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Hazelwood has made such a name for herself in the Romance genre and I’m so happy to be along for the ride!

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Review: Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous by Mae Marvel

~ megs14malloy

Everyone I Kissed Since You Got FamousEveryone I Kissed Since You Got Famous by Mae Marvel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous is a sex positive Sapphic Romance story. While it had some slight pacing issues for me, I’m glad I read it. I def had fun with the characters.

This story follows A-list celebrity actress, Katie Price, who returns home to Wisconsin for the holidays and ends up reconnecting with her long-lost best friend, Wil Greene, a budding internet star known for kissing strangers.

It may have been a decade since Katie and Wil last connected, but once they do, it’s like they never left each other sides. The mutual attraction is undeniable.

Each of the women are going through some personal struggles, and we do get keyed into those things. So, while there’s a lot of cutesy romance moments, there’s also some substance and relatable life issues.

I really enjoyed the start of this, meeting Katie and Wil, as well as learning their thoughts and feelings on one another. I was immediately struck by the amount of chemistry the authors were able to create between these two women.

There’s something so sexy about mutual attraction that hasn’t culminated yet. The pining for one another, as they get reacquainted. I feel like the authors really nailed that feeling. I felt it in my stomach, the butterflies.

I also really enjoyed the last 20%, including the overall conclusion. Sadly, the middle bit did drag for me. Some of it, the thoughts of the MCs, in particular with regards to one another, started to feel repetitive and I wanted more consistent forward motion with the plot.

It made the story feel longer than it actually is. The middle of the story just failed to capture my attention and keep it, unlike the beginning and the end. I enjoyed Katie’s perspective a little more than Wil’s, so that also added to my sense of unevenness with the book.

With this being said, overall, I feel like this is a fun, oft-steamy, female-female romance that a lot of Readers are going to enjoy. There are many different aspects of this to connect to, and for the right Reader, at the right time, I can see this becoming a new favorite Romance story for them.

I appreciated how open Marvel made these characters. They talked through everything. Their past, their wants, their fears; they even had close relationships with their Moms. That was a treat to see.

At the end of the day, while this didn’t necessarily knock my socks off, I’m excited to see where these authors go from here. I will def check out whatever they write next.

Thank you to the publisher, Griffin and Macmillan Audio, for providing me copies to read and review. I hope Katie and Wil live happily ever after!

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Review: Forging Silver into Stars (Forging Silver into Stars #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

~ megs14malloy

Forging Silver into Stars (Forging Silver into Stars, #1)Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Forging Silver into Stars is the 1st-book in the series of the same name. This is a companion/follow-up to Kemmerer’s popular Cursebreakers series. This YA Fantasy series started as a loose reimagining of Beauty & the Beast, but it has certainly come a long way since then.

I really enjoyed my time throughout the Cursebreakers books and was extremely happy to be reunited with Grey, Rhen, Harper and Lia Mara, here. Additionally, seeing sweet baby Tycho all growns up was such a treat!

This story is set approximately 5-years after the final events of the Cursebreakers series. In this one we follow three different perspectives: Tycho, who you may remember from the Cursebreakers books, where he had a small role, as well as Callyn and Jax, two new characters.

Callyn and Jax are best friends, living in the small village of Briarlock. Callyn runs her family bakery and takes care of her little sister, Norah. Jax is a blacksmith, who runs his father’s shop, while his Dad is busy gambling, drinking and otherwise spending all their money.

As he is passing through Briarlock for a spell, Tycho ends up meeting both Callyn and Jax. The plot centers mainly around a underground movement growing against the new King of Syhl Shallow because of his rumored magic.

The members of this rebellion claim to be loyal to the Queen, but they view the new King’s magic as a threat to their entire kingdom. They’re determined to stamp out that threat.

Tycho, as we know, has connections to both Syhl Shallow and Emberfall. Callyn and Jax, whose village is a part of Syhl Shallow, soon find themselves on opposite sides of the issue. Can their friendship survive all the new drama, and potential new loves, surrounding them?

This was so good. Kemmerer is such a great writer with fantastic world-building and characters. She never fails to pull me in and keep me invested.

Her characters are so likable. Even the ones you aren’t supposed to like, you sort of love to hate them. I loved how the main characters from Cursebreakers were included in the periphery of this one, and as we got further along, they began to appear more and more.

From the conclusion of this, I am left thinking that we are going to be seeing a lot more of them all in the next book, which I couldn’t be more excited about.

There is some romance in this for both Callyn and Jax. I liked the way that built up, the uncertainty of their feelings and all that, but there was a section where there were a few chapters in a row that were quite romance-heavy in lieu of the rest of the plot.

That sort of lost my interest a little, as I would have preferred that more interspersed amongst the rest of the book. Nevertheless, it was a fairly short section when considering the bigger picture, so didn’t really affect my overall enjoyment that much.

The action definitely picked up towards the end and we are in a great position to jump into the next book. There’s a lot of unfinished business and so much more to explore as our characters head in new directions.

I’m so excited for the next book to release. I love that this world didn’t have to end with A Vow So Bold and Deadly. I’ll read anything Kemmerer wants to write involving Emberfall and Syhl Shallow.

I would recommend reading Cursebreakers first, but it’s not absolutely necessary. This is written in such a way that you wouldn’t feel lost without that background, but it definitely adds to the experience if you have read that trilogy.

Content Warning: Animal Content — (view spoiler)
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Review: Icon and Inferno (Stars and Smoke #2) by Marie Lu

~ megs14malloy

Icon and Inferno (Stars and Smoke, #2)Icon and Inferno by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Icon and Inferno is the 2nd-book in Marie Lu’s fast-paced Spy Thriller series, Stars and Smoke. This romantic YA series features a Pop Star and a Secret Agent.

I had a lot of fun with the 1st-book, Stars and Smoke, so I was excited to continue on with these characters and this world. Unsurprisingly, Lu’s exceptional writing drew me in from the start and kept me hooked throughout.

In this installment, we are reunited with our MCs, Winter, an international pop superstar, and Sydney, an operative for a mysterious organization known as the Panacea Group.

Winter and Sydney were paired together on a mission in London in the 1st-book, but have now, at the start of this, gone a year without any contact between them.

They’re about to be thrust together again though, when Panacea calls upon Winter to assist them with a mission in Singapore, where he is set to perform a show.

The mission involves a lavish party, an assassination plot, and is the very highest of stakes. Panacea needs their best ops on the job.

The chemistry between our mains is still simmering directly under the surface, but we have their exs in tow as well, so that sets up some interesting tension.

Lu excels at character development. I love how well developed these characters are, particularly Winter and Sydney. It’s impossible not to fall in love with them and yearn for them to be together.

I appreciate the slow burn feel of the development of their relationship. Even the pining isn’t overdone. It feels natural and leaves the Reader wanting more.

The action is also gripping and believable. I love the idea of the Panacea Group, the mystery of it all; the operatives and missions. The possibilities for this series are truly endless.

My only small gripe about this is that I wanted more. I feel like the mission went almost too quickly. I could have definitely spent more time in Singapore.

That’s obviously a personal preference, but I definitely could have done with it being built-out even more.

Overall though, I had a lot of fun reading this. The audiobook narration is fantastic, bringing the story to life.

Winter and Sydney compliment each other. Their personalities play off one another so well. He’s always in the spotlight, she’s always in the shadows. They’re like two sides of the same coin and I only want the best for them.

The way this story left off at the end was great. I love that Lu left a bit of mystery. There’s obviously more that could be explored, or we could leave it here. Personally, I am hoping for more, but we’ll see…

Thank you so much to the publisher, Roaring Brook Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This series is highly underrated!!

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Review: A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

~ megs14malloy

A Novel Love StoryA Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Elsy Merriweather has a few things in her life she knows she can count on: her best friend, Pru, their shared love of Romance novels, and their annual book club retreat.

Elsy, a literature professor, loves getting lost in the pages of a happily-ever-after story, even if she feels like she’ll never live one herself. Been there, tried that.

But things are changing. Pru is on the cusp of getting engaged, her upcoming trip with her boyfriend unfortunately falling on the same week as the book club retreat. Additionally, the rest of the book club has sent their regrets for this years trip; everyone is busy.

Elsy needs the retreat though, whether or not anyone else will be attendance. She decides to go, solo-road trip it to the remote cabin, where she will drink copious amount of wine and read all the Romance.

Honestly, this sounds like heaven to me too, so I was fully supportive of Elsy’s plans. On her way there though, her car breaks down and she finds herself stranded in a quaint little town that seems all too familiar.

It’s Eloraton, the small town setting of her favorite Romance series! How the heck is this possible? Eloraton is a fictional place, yet here she is…

Rachel Flowers, the author of the series, passed away while writing the final novel, so the story was never finished. Because of that, Eloraton is trapped in time, where everything remains the same even as time passes.

Elsy feels like that could be the reason why she’s ended up here. To help the town, and thus all the people in it, find their perfect storybook ending.

There’s a character she doesn’t know however, and wasn’t counting on, a grumpy bookstore owner named Anders, with minty green eyes, and his own reasons to want the town to continue on forever just the way it is.

We follow Elsy, trapped in her favorite fictional town, as she meets the characters she has grown to love over the years of reading this series. It’s so cute, because it’s like she’s meeting celebrities. Of course, they have no idea how infatuated she is with all of them, or why.

I really did love this set-up. It’s so Poston, to have such a creative and quirky twist to an otherwise normal Contemporary Romance story.

I appreciate how unique Poston’s style is now. She’s really created a nice little niche for herself within the genre and her writing is so distinct. You could tell this was one of her books just from the writing and characters alone.

I did enjoy the dynamic between Elsy and Anders; their back-and-forth was entertaining and there was definite chemistry smoldering away.

The middle portion wasn’t quite as exciting for me as some of Poston’s other works. I found some elements a bit repetitive and there were times that I wanted more actual substance from her interactions with the townspeople. I wish it could have had some more drama in that regard.

The highlight of this for me was the growth of Elsy’s character over the course of the story. She comes to some solid revelations about her life while she’s in Eloraton, and I especially enjoyed the exploration of her friendship with her best friend, Pru.

With this being said, this is still an amazing story. I am just comparing it, maybe unfairly, to The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip, both of which I 5-star level loved.

So, while this isn’t my favorite of Poston’s Adult Contemporary novels, it’s still hella cute and enjoyable. I would absolutely recommend it to all Contemporary Romance Readers, particularly if you’ve enjoyed Poston’s style in the past.

There’s just something so cozy and comforting about her stories. It’s almost required to cuddle up under a blanket with a hot drink to read them.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me a copy to read and review. I always look forward to Poston’s new releases and this didn’t disappoint!

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